[hughesnick312]

Originally Posted by Wizened Variations

Berlin, for the foreseeable future, will not be a NYC or a London.

NYC and London have been the center of the financial world for 150 years. Currently, the US and the UK are in rapid economic decline, and, are in a historic momentum period. A good historic analogue might be Paris in the 19th Century.*

Cultural and artistic exports depend on either the availability of money (power) or on historic momentum caused by the after effects of having been a world economic power.

Based upon economic dominance, the next world cultural power will be China, once the Dragon is through it's hyper quick industrialization.

However, we live in a world where cities like Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Jakarta are powerhouses with huge domestic and linguistically defined cultural markets. Buenos Aires and Mexico City are culturally competing for a market of almost 400,000,000 speakers. Sao Paulo, is the cultural center of some 200,000,000 speakers. Mumbai is the cultural center for 300,000,000 Hindi speakers, Kolkata for 200 million. Each of these cities is brimming with millions of highly talented young people, intent on expressing themselves to their linguistic culture and the world beyond.

With the internet and it's permutations, cultural powerhouses world wide are expanding their cultural exports. S Korean movies, music, etc., are very popular in Japan and much of South East Asia. Tokyo has a firm hold on much of the world's internet arts, and, is continuing to maintain it's lead.

I have immense hope for Berlin, and Moscow, in Europe, however. Both are rising stars full of energy. However, neither IMO will significantly influence the WORLD'S culture in the 21st Century. Rather, each will be a "boutique" shop visited by more dominant cultural players.

Of yes, the US is becoming a violent, dusty museum.

*Economic growth and decline are happening over shorter and shorter intervals, so historic momentum periods also do not persist as long as such periods did the 19th and 20th Centuries.

Good post, I agree with a lot of what you say, but not all. Despite some sensationalist propoganda, USA is not in massive decline, it has more competition now but will still be the worlds dominant superpower for at least the next fifty years. Britain does not have its empire anymore, but it's still a major world power and will still have the fifth biggest economy in 2030, it is still the sixth biggest manufacturer in the world today, and all analysts say that London and New York will remain as the alpha world capitols and financial capitols for the next few decades, also Germany will always have a good economy and manufacturing and scientific/technological industry, don't underestimate them, i do agree with a lot of the rest of your post